Courageous Substance
by black-roulette
Summary: Shadow cannot exist without substance, yet some substances need courage to survive. A peaceful chat between two friends in the middle of the night can lead to some interesting conversations. LinkxSheik yaoi. Oneshot


Disclaimer: I own nothing! Nada! Zip! (...But that won't stop me from dreaming. XD)

Warnings: Shounen-ai (cuz I consider Sheik to be a boy, dammit. Don't like, then get outta here!), mebbe some OOC, and mebbe a wee li'l bit of confusion, seeing on how this is my (sad to say) first actual LinkxSheik fic ever.

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Stars in the night sky twinkled gaily over the vast, grassy fields of Hyrule. The moon was full and emitted a soft, enchanting light over the kingdom. Shadows danced somber dances over the land, giving one a sense of eeriness. It was perfect. Well, perfect enough for two figures resting in the midst of Hyrule field, anyway.

Two young men stared up at the night sky, silence overtaking them. Lately, the kingdom seemed peaceful, even though both knew otherwise. It was under the control of the Ganondorf; therefore nothing was (or at least _shouldn't_ be) peaceful. …But tonight was different. Tonight no monsters crept with in the darkness, bloodlust clearly showing in their demonic eyes. Tonight there were no storm clouds threatening to cast a freezing downpour over the already miserable land. No, tonight…tonight a warm breeze blew, and two friends could finally spend some well-deserved quality time together.

"The gods are restful tonight," one of the young men stated, crimson eyes glowing.

"Yup," replied the other, his green garbs blending with the grass, azure orbs also shining.

"It seems as if nothing ever happened. It's like Ganondorf never took over."

"Yup."

"This could be a bad sign," the crimson-eyed boy said warily, picking up his harp.

"Maybe so."

"…Aren't you frightened? Even if it's just a little bit?"

"Not really," the slightly older boy stated, nonchalantly placing a blade of grass between his lips.

"Not at all?"

The one with the title of "Hero of Time" chuckled. "Nope. Sure, I get nervous every once in awhile, but not 'frightened'."

"And why is that, Hero?"

"Ugh, again with the 'Hero' title? C'mon, Sheik, you can call me by my name, you know," the boy groaned, sitting up.

It was Sheik's turn to chuckle. Plucking a few strings of his harp, he muttered, "Link…" The name rolled off his tongue in a pleasing manner. "…Why is it that you become 'nervous', but not 'frightened'?"

Removing the blade of grass from his mouth, Link began to twirl it around his finger. A slight smile made its way to his lips. Placing both hands behind his head, the Hylian fell back onto the grass, letting out a small giggle. Sighing light-heartedly, he whispered, "Because I never give up courage."

The Sheikah warrior stared at his companion, pondering those words. Shaking his head slightly, he strummed a few more notes and let out a soft sigh. "I see."

Link cocked an eyebrow, his blonde locks falling in front of his eyes. Brushing them aside, he sat up once again and stared at the figure seated on the remains of a wall. A grin creeping across his features, he stood up from his grassy seat and took a less comfortable one next to the smaller warrior. Curiosity building up inside of him, he asked, "What does it matter if I get scared or not, though?"

The other blonde shrugged slightly, now strumming a hauntingly beautiful tune on his harp. "Maybe I was just curious. …But even heroes get scared every once in awhile."

The Hero of Time laughed, patting his friend on the back. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Well, maybe if you look deep inside your heart, you'll find something you're truly afraid of."

Link cocked his head to the side. "Hm…"

"Shall I help you find something?" the Sheikah asked, placing his instrument to the side.

"…Sure. Help me find something you think I'm 'afraid' of," the older blonde said calmly, azure eyes locking with crimson. "But in return, you have to tell me what _you're_ afraid of."

Sheik chuckled lightly. "Alright, then. It's a deal, Hero."

Link rolled his eyes at the title, letting out another sigh. "Ask me something."

"…What do you think of having the fate of an entire kingdom in your hands?"

"It's nerve-wracking, but someone's gotta do it."

The crimson-eyed warrior nodded. …A reasonable answer.

"What do you think of the fact that Princess Zelda could be dead at this very moment?"

Link stiffened. "It's a terrifying thought, but I dwell on the fact that she's _not_ dead and that she's somewhere safe, and I won't rest until I find her."

Sheik scowled underneath his turban, his crimson eyes hardening. Princess Zelda. How he _loathed_ that girl (though he would never admit it out loud). He knew every plan she had; every last detail of every last scheme. He knew she wanted Link, oh did he know. Normally, there'd be no problem with it, except for the fact that the Sheikah himself loved the hero and wanted him as well. Yet, he wasn't going to admit _that_ out loud, either.

"…I see. Well, what would you do," he trailed off, trying to come up with a suitable question. "Ah, I've got it. What are your thoughts on going back to your own time?"

Link pondered this for a moment. _'…Wow, this _is_ scary. …I don't want to. I…don't want to go back and…and have Sheik forget about me.'_

Finally coming up with an answer, the Hylian answered, "I don't want to go back to my own time. I'm not scared of going back, though."

"Really now? Okay then," Sheik said solemnly. "Then…hm…"

"What?" Link questioned with a smirk, a flaxen eyebrow cocked. "Can't come up with anymore 'scary' questions?"

Suddenly, the smaller boy smiled, unbeknownst to the hero. "…What would you think if I told you I was to die soon?"

This hit Link in the face. Hard. He stiffened, a shiver running up his spine. "D-die?" he stuttered, the word shattering his heart. "W-what do you mean 'die'?"

"It's exactly as I put it, Link," was the calm response.

"I…I…" he paused, swallowing. Though he didn't want to admit it, he couldn't help the words that escaped his lips. "I…that is something I am _terrified_ of."

Sheik gaped behind his turban, his crimson orbs growing large. Was this true? Was Link really terrified of the grim thought? Locking eyes with the Hylian, he whispered, "Is this true?"

Link nodded, trying desperately not to pull the smaller male into a tender embrace. "…Every word…"

The Sheikah smiled lightly, placing a comforting hand on his friend's back. "I don't see why you would be terrified of me dying, though. I am Sheikah, from a tribe of 'shadows'. I don't see how you could possibly miss a 'shadow'…"

The blonde hero twitched slightly, turning sharply to face the boy. "Because that 'shadow' is my friend! I couldn't bare it if you died on me!"

The crimson-eyed warrior smiled slightly, taking comfort in that fact. Deciding to move on to a more reassuring subject, he whispered, "Do you want to know what I'm afraid of, now?"

Link nodded slightly, his attention completely focused on the Sheikah.

Smiling, he replied, "…I'm afraid that the one I love is actually in love with another, selfish as it sounds."

The Hero of Time's eyes grew large. "…And who is the one you love?"

"That's a secret…for the moment. First, I'd like to make something clear."

"…And what's that?"

Sheik continued to smile. Changing to subject seemed appropriate at the moment. Pulling out his harp and strumming a few notes, he stated, "To me, courage is being afraid of doing something, yet doing it anyway. So, you don't have to worry about 'giving up courage' if you are afraid, yet still complete your task."

Link grinned at those words. "Then, can I make something clear, too?"

"Yes."

"I learned that 'shadow' can't exist without 'substance'. …And here you are now. So if you're 'shadow', then what's your 'substance'?"

The flaxen warrior laughed softly, once again placing his harp to the side. "My 'substance' is the one I love."

"And who's that?" Link asked again, now curious to know.

"Do you really wish to know?" Sheik questioned, pulling down his turban. Chuckling at the hero's gaping mouth, he continued, "You tell me. Does he love me back?"

Link stared in awe at the boy's beautiful face, reaching a gauntleted hand out to touch his cheek. Instantly, the Sheikah leaned into the touch, causing Link to beam on the inside. Lowering his voice, he whispered, "…You're very beautiful. I don't see why you hide your face. …But anyway, if this is the man you love, then yes, he loves you back. …Always has."

Slowly, Sheik brought their mouths together in a gentle kiss, which in turn became passionate rather quickly. Pulling away after what seemed like an eternity, he replied, "Congratulations, Hero. You have found my 'substance'…"

Pulling the other down from the wall and onto the grass, Link kissed his cheek softly and stated, "Then I'll tell you the truth: You've been my courage this whole time. Whenever I got nervous or…scared, I'd think of you, and then I could continue."

"Well," Sheik murmured, resting his head on his love's broad chest. "that's always something good to know."

"Yup," the hero said gently, gazing up at the night sky.

Still the stars continued to burn gaily over the vast fields of Hyrule, setting the perfect atmosphere for the two new lovers. With both courage and the substance of love, the two young warriors finally gained what both desired: each other.

Shadow cannot exist without substance, yet some substances need courage to survive. Indeed, love is a courageous substance.

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Oi...I'm not too thrilled about the ending, truth be told. Hope it didn't confuse anyone or sound too idiotic. Reviews are definatly welcome, but I'm not holding my breath. ...And all flames will be used to keep my feet warm at night. 


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